


new beginnings

by mc3



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Other, Soccer, US Women's Soccer National Team, USWNT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:51:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 12,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc3/pseuds/mc3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ok, so I'm not sure if I am going to keep this going, so please comment what you think and if you want it to keep going!</p></blockquote>





	1. club games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I'm not sure if I am going to keep this going, so please comment what you think and if you want it to keep going!

Alex Morgan had always been told she was a good dancer, So when her best friend Kelley O'hara sprinted into her appartment and told her to get dressed because they were going to a club, Alex didnt hesitate.

Alex got of the couch begining to picture the things she had in her closet. By the time she opened the door to her walk in closet she knew exactly what she was going to wear. On a hanger in plain sight was the dress she and Kelley had bought a month ago. Alex had been waiting for a good oppertunity to wear it. She yanked the dress over her head and looked in the mirror. Perfect.

Alex and Kelley drove to the club getting more and more excited as the night went on. Kelley had grabbed the aux cord the seconds after screaming "SHOTGUN" (even knowing she was the only person in the competition for the front seat), and now top 40 pop was pumping through the car. Kelley reached through the middle of the car to twist the volume knob down, and begun to hint at playing one of her favorite pre-clubbing games. The point of the game was to make a bet about who they could make out with before the night was over.

"Alex ya know, I'm really feeling you and a tan tourist tonight."

Alex thought about it and replied "mmm maybe... tan is always a turn on. And a tourist could be fun, after…you know… it didn't work out with Serv." The mood in the car shifted, no longer matching the upbeat song on the stereo. Alex knew she had to salvage the mood after bringing both girls back to the past memories of the awful weeks after she and her long time boyfriend ended their relationship. She studied kelley out of the corner of her eye, "Your gonna find yourself a short man. I feel it in my bones!"

Kelley snorted. "Ew short guys and me dont match at ALL! Alex you know i dont do guys that aren't more than 4 inches taller than me!" kelley began to think of a plan in her head and she turned to alex with a mischevous gleam in her eye. "This is the ultimate round alex. You have to do this. You are gonna find yourself a nice…pretty...girl."

Alex turned her head away from the road and looked at kelley and saw with dismay that she was dead serious. "Shit kelley." but she knew the consequences if she didn't. Alex would have to do whatever Kelley wanted for a month, and with Kelley, that could end really badly. She sighed "Fine but only if your target is a girl too."

Kelley squealed "HELL yeah! Thats the spirit of the game! Ive never kissed a girl before! This is going to be epic!!!"

Alex rolled her eyes. Only Kelley O'hara would find trying to be gay for a night cool. Whatever, she could deal with Kelley's antics as long as she had alcohol in her system.

Alex could hear the bass pumping out from the open doors of the club as they snagged the last open parking space withen 5 miles of the popular club. Kelley dragged her inside and they ran right to the middle of the dance floor and started to atract the attention of both guys and girls as they jumped and grinded on each other. kelley froze suddenly, a stark difference from the crazy dancer that she had been a minute ago,

"I found my target," she yelled in Alex's ear. Alex slowly turned around to see who Kelley was looking at so not to stare blatantly. Kelley was pointing at two girls who had just walked into the club. Kelley grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled her over to the bar to grab some drinks."I cant do this sober!" she shrieked at Alex. Kelley proceeded to down three shots in a row, then she started to shimmy her hips while walking towards the two that she had proclaimed her "targets". Alex knew that if she didn't go with her, Kelley would do something to screw the night up and they would end up alone at home. so alex walked towards the two girls with kelley cursing this stupid game with every step she took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment or give kudos if you want to see more.


	2. dance circles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my USWNT instagram page @solosoccerlove!

Kelley and Alex reached the two girls just as they were heading towards the dance floor. Kelley stopped abruptly, checking out the taller of the two. Kelley's signature goofy grin lit up her face. "I'm kelley, and your mine for the night!" she yelled at the dark haired girl.

The brunette smirked. "Oh ya? and what makes you think i want any part of your cocky ass?"

Kelley laughed as she turned and slapped her ass, giving the girl a nice view, "well judging on how your staring at the ass in question right now, I'm guessing that tonight might end well." She grabbed her potential date's hand and lead her out to the hub of dancers on the floor. 

That left alex and the shorter of the two standing there awkwardly. Alex mentally cursed Kelley and her stupid game as she plastered a fake smile onto her face. "Do you want to find somewhere quieter?"

The girl blinked like she was surprised to find Alex still in front of her "um yeah…I guess".

Alex spun on her heel gesturing for the girl to follow her to the door. Once the pair was outside, they sat on a ledge leaning against the wall. Free of the darkness and smoke that clouded the vision of everyone in the club, Alex looked up and really saw the other girl for the first time ' _wow'_. she thought to herself. ' _she is really hot'_. The girl looked up and saw Alex staring at her, so she figured that she should say something.

"So...im tobin..."

Alex tried to shake off her embarassment at being caught staring at the vision in front of her and quickly replied "Oh right, i'm Alex. Im here with my friend Kelley, who stole your friend...or girlfriend…"

Tobin's head shot up. "No. Not my girlfriend. Just Hope. We live in an apartment together."

Alex grinned inwardley ' _so maybe shes single...'_ not sure what to say in responce for that and not wanting to give away her thoughts, she just nodded. "So Tobin... Do you maybe want to see what Kelley and Hope are doing? Or we could stay here...cause parking lots are super duper fun too..."

Tobin cracked a smile "Yeah we should probably go see that your friend isnt causing trouble. Too bad though... I love hanging out in parking lots with strangers"

Alex pushed off the wall and grabbed Tobin's hand to help her up. Tobin grabbed the outstretched hand without a second thought. She and alex both looked up to see each other's gaze. A car sped by, headlights illuminating then and ruining the moment. Alex dropped Tobin's hand realizing how uncomfortable the other girl must feel. Tobin and Alex walked into the club together trying hard not to make eye contact with each other that might betray how they are really feeling. 

As soon as they walked in, they saw a mob of people in a circle in the middle of the dance floor.

"Oh shit..." Alex said, as she pushed her way past interlocked couples to see what was going on.

Tobin followed her in hot persuit "Alex! what are you doing?" she yelled at alexs retreating back.

Alex turned around "If i know kelley, she has taken two more shots since I have last seen her, and is is in the middle of that circle".

Tobin caught up to Alex and together they got close enough to see who was making a fool out of themselves in the center. Sure enough, there was Kelley and Hope. They were dancing and grinding to the beat in what seemed like a "dance off" against another couple. Alex sighed as she watched Kelley stumble. Kelley was drunk. Again. Tobin was studying Hope intensely and she saw the telltale signs that kelley's dance partner was drunk too. 

Alex and tobin looked at each other as they realized how impossible their situation was ending up.

"Lets just get them out and go somewhere that they can sleep it off" Alex directed Tobin.

Tobin agreed, and they proceeded to grab their friends and manhandle them outside.

"Where's your car?" Tobin asked Alex.

Alex pointed out the blue jeep that she owned. "Right there." 

Tobin and Alex lifted kelley up and tossed her into the back of the car.

"How are you going to get Hope home?" alex asked "Is there anyone you can call that can bring a car to come and get you guys?"

Tobin thought about it, and realized that she really didn't have anyone close to her to call…it was usually just her and Hope. Not wanting to admit that she was a little alone in the world she suggested, "Maybe we should just go to the same place so we can help each other get these two idiots into bed?"

Alex thought about it and nodded. Bringing two people home with her was a little strange, but it made sense.

Tobin and Alex put Hope in the car using the technique of rolling, shoving, and yanking the incoherent girl into the Jeep.

"Your place or mine?" Tobin asked, praying that Alex would be gracious enough to suggest her house,  "my apartment is on the fifth floor and there arent any elevators... so maybe not mine?"

Alex agreed and pulled the car onto the roads that would lead her back home. 

Once they got to the apartment, Alex called up to the people also living in the house to enlist their help in bringing the drunks upstairs. After a minute, five girls walked out of the door. They grabbed Hope and Kelley and maneuvered them through the lobby to the elevators before dropping them on the floor and introducing themselves to Tobin.

The girl with curly hair used her free hand and unlocked the door before stating the olvious problem.

"Guys we dont have extra beds. Whose gonna double up? I can't have anyone in my room cause JRue is kinda already there and asleep..."

Alex shot the girl a glance, "JRue is here. In our house? Lauren we _will_ be talking about that later." 

Alex's roomates had already thrown Kelley and Hope on the same bed, so that wasnt a problem, but Tobin still didnt have a place to sleep.

"I can stay on the couch.." Tobin said.

Alex took a deep breath before voicing her opinion. "I brought you home, so you can sleep with me. The couch is super uncomfortable, and Pinoe left chip crumbs all over it."

The blonde haired girl grinned and didn't look to sorry. "Guys, it was a twilight marathon! I fell asleep after 10 hours so I didn't have time to clean it up!"

Tobin looked at Alex to make sure her offer was sincere.

"ok that sounds good."

All the girls shuffled off to their rooms except for the girl named Pinoe who turned back to the TV. "YEAH!!! legally blonde!!!!!"

Alex led Tobin to her room and pointed out the bathroom. "Ill leave some clothes in the bathroom so you can shower and get the stink of the club off you."

Tobin nodded in agreement. She decided to peek in on Hope to make sure she was ok and didnt need any water. When she opened the door to the room they had tossed Kelley and Hope into, she saw that Kelley was wrapped in Hope's arms, and they both looked content. Tobin smirked. She had gotten the feeling from the first minutes that she met Kelley that even when drunk, she still got what she wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow my USWNT instagram page @solosoccerlove!


	3. The Morning After Pt. 1

    Hope woke up to the feeling of someone else’s heat against her body, a feeling that she was accustomed to. She had never had any problems getting anyone to go home with her, but this time, she couldn't remember where she was, and why she still had all of her clothes on… that usually didn't happen for her. Hope opened her eyes a crack, a little nervous of who, or what she might find. Hope only had her eyes open for about two seconds, but she saw enough to realize two things. 1) damn the light was bright…. and 2) the girl that was in bed with her was not her type at all. She was small, freckled, and...cute. Hope Solo never does “cute”. She realized that if she wanted answers to what had gone on last night, she needed to get out of bed and start looking for clues. She disentangled herself from the sleeping girl and walked out of the room, almost crashing into her best friend Tobin as she did.

    Hope took in Tobin’s peaceful appearance and saw that she looked well rested before noticing a girl behind her.

    “What the fuck T? I know that tshirt isn't yours, so I’m assuming you stayed overnight with this chick behind you. Where are we? Who was I in bed with? And DAMMIT where is the advil?”

    Tobin didn't seem surprised by Hope’s rapid fire questions and took them in stride. “We are at an apartment, not actually sure where now that I think about it. NO I didn't sleep with Alex, we are only here because you got drunk off your ass with the girl in bed, whose name is Kelley by the way.”

    Alex poked her head out from behind Tobin where she was partially hiding from the scary hungover lady in front of her. “The uh advil is in the kitchen...I can grab you some if you want?”

    Hope, with some of her questions answered calmed down slightly and realized how loud she had been barraging Tobin with questions. Probably loud enough to wake up “Kelley”.

    Sure enough, a loud thump came from the room that Hope had spent the night. She followed the moaning noises back to the side of the bed where Kelley was facedown on the floor.

    Kelley moaned again and rasped out, “Oh. Oh wow. Thats a head rush. Ok Kel. You can do this. Get up.” She reached her hand out behind her and grappled for something to hold on to, finding Hope’s knee. Kelley either didn't realize or just didn't care that she was squeezing another person's’ limbs and continued to bring her hand upwards, stopping at Hope’s inner thigh when she heard a sharp intake of breath. Kelley froze realizing that what she was holding onto was not in fact a bedpost with a sheet covering it, but a person wearing loose pants. She flipped over and saw that standing above her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Staring into this ladys eyes she began to remember the night before. Flashes of dancing up on her in a way that was not appropriate whatsoever reminded her that she had been much closer to this woman than where her hand was now. Kelley ripped her hand off Hope’s leg and waved from below her sheepishly. “Hi. My name is Kelley O’hara, and although we immediately plunged into a very...um...close...relationship, I would like to get to know you better. So! I enjoy surfing, small animals, soccer, sports in general, and dancing.”

  
   Hope raked her eyes up and down Kelley’s body beneath her. “Yeah. Trust me, I remember how much you like dancing.” Seeing how Kelley blushed from the floor reminded her that she needed to control herself, as the both of them were hungover and needed to recover from the night before. “I’m Hope. I enjoy soccer, drinking coffee, and my dogs.” She reached down to grab the hand that had formerly resided on her leg. “Now that we officially know each other, let's move to the kitchen and get coffee and some damn advil.”


	4. The Morning After pt. 2

The kitchen was crowded and full of tension between friends, strangers, and possible love interests. When Hope and Kelley made their way from the bedroom they found everyone sitting around a circle kitchen table, no one talking, just sizing each other up. All of Alex’s roomates were used to each other and had no problem sitting in comfortable silence, but all of the newbies were beginning to feel the need to throw in their thoughts and opinions to break the ice, Tobin included.

“So...Uh...How did everyone sleep?” Tobin’s question was met with more silence. After a few seconds, Alex tried to help her new friend out and answered.

“I slept great!” she said a tad bit too excited while making eye contact with Tobin and blushing slightly.

The blonde girl with severe bedhead noticed the blushing and immediately whipped out her phone. “SPEAKING of how you two slept, I just happened to walk past your room last night after Legally Blonde finished and saw you two looking hella cute so I took a picture!”

Tobin saw the picture and immediately starting choking on air. Alex grabbed the phone from her friend and glanced at the picture on the screen. Her first thought was that they looked like a couple, all wrapped up in each others embrace and fitting perfectly. Her second thought however, was one that she voiced to the group. “Huh. You said that you just happened to pass our room, right? Well thats kinda funny because I definitely remember shutting the door before I went to sleep…” She shot a pointed glance at Pinoe.

Pinoe began to look guilty and struggled to find a believable excuse of how she got the picture, and decided to go with the classic way of getting out of trouble. She shoved her chair back from the table and started to run out of the kitchen and to her room, yelling “I swear I didn't spy on you last night Lex!” On her journey to the safety of her room, she ran smack into two girls emerging from a bathroom dressed in workout clothes. These two girls had known Pinoe for long enough to know that when she was running,  it probably meant that she was guilty of something. The blonde tattooed woman grabbed Pinoe and pinned her down while her brunette counterpart yelled for Alex to come and get their prisoner. Pinoe started to yell. “Ash! No Ash please let me go!!! If you don't I'll tell everyone about the time that I walked in on you ------” Ashlyn shoved her hand against Pinoe’s mouth just as Alex rounded the corner.

Alex grabbed Pinoe’s spiky hair and dragged her into the kitchen before sitting on top of her and forcing her to tell the truth in front of all of their friends and guests.

“OK. Ok. I finished watching my movie when I tripped over our dog, Baxter, in front of your room Alex. When I fell, I grabbed the doorknob and the door opened a little. And you know me!! Once i start thinking about something, I can't stop until I have fully investigated! So I peeked into the room and after seeing how cute you two were, I knew I had to take a picture, in case you two ever got married I would have evidence from the first time you met!”

Tobin started choking on air again, and everyone looked her way. Pinoe took that distraction to her advantage and shoved Alex off her chest and jumped up. Kelley started laughing at Alex’s misfortune, both with the picture and ending up sprawled on the floor. Pinoe saw this and decided not to let her friend get off too easy.

“Hey kell, check the group message later today, I took some great shots of you and your ‘roommate’ last night too. Much more interesting to take a picture of… I could sell them online, But I would have to title them ‘These are not suitable for young eyes’”

Kelley leapt out of her chair and chased after Pinoe until they were standing in Kelley’s bedroom where the pictures had been shot. Kelley grabbed the phone from the blonde and flicked through the images, her heart racing with each picture. She collapsed on the bed and moaned after seeing where her hands had been on Hope’s body while they were sleeping. “WHY don't I remember that? Stupid tequila shots…” She sat up, “Hey pinoe, can you send those to me by any chance? I think I need to use them as blackmail to make sure that Hope goes on a real date with me. I 100% need to end up sleeping on top of her again soon….”

 

 


	5. Shopping with Ali

After the excitement over the pictures Pinoe had taken had faded, the group was left sitting at the table taking in each others company, and in Tobin and Hope’s case, meeting new people. Kelley was sitting on Pinoes lap while the two of them schemed quietly. Everyone else was used to their antics and too tired to get involved knowing fully that whatever ideas they were thinking up would come to light eventually. After about ten minutes of Pinoe and Kelley whispering in each others ears and grinning, the two got up and left the apartment without any mention of where they were going.

 

Tobin looked around at the remaining people. The two girls that had helped tackle Pinoe were sitting next to each other and discussing where they were going to go shopping after breakfast. The brunette who had introduced herself as Ali looked much more excited than the blonde over spending the day browsing through the stores.

“Al. Today is a Saturday. Do you really want to spend all day sitting in traffic? The AC in your car doesn't work and it's like 90° out.”

“I don't think you are understanding me Ashlyn. I haven't bought a bag in a solid two months. So yes, I do think that sitting in a car with my best friend for a little bit is worth it. And anyways, i forgot to tell you, you are driving. So the AC in your car does work. Not even a problem!”

Ashlyn sighed, knowing her fate of window shopping and driving Ali around all day was sealed.

Ali jumped up and clapped her hands. “Lets go! I want to get to the sale at Macy’s before some other bitch steals my dream purse!” She ran back to her room to grab her phone and shoes before throwing Ashlyn’s keys at her. “Ill meet you in the car! Be there in thirty seconds or I start honking the horn to the tune of hot cross buns.”

Ashlyn knew that this threat was serious as Ali had performed the song for their entire neighborhood before when she thought Ashlyn was taking too long. “Well I guess I gotta go then. We probably won't make it back for dinner, you know how long it takes her to pick just one bag...If i'm not back in twenty-four hours, please call my family and tell them I didn't make it…”

Hope smirked, “Man, that girl has you wwwwhhhhiiipped. Have fun shopping!”

Ashlyn stared at Hope in a panic, “We're Not...I mean… Ali and I are just friends. Uh. It was nice to meet you… bye.” She ran out the door desperate to get away from the awkward situation that had just been brought up.

Ashlyn drove her best friend to the mall that she knew had her favorite purse store in it, still contemplating Hope's comments about her and Ali's relationship. Having these thoughts bouncing around her head made her hyperaware of everything Ali did, and Ali was beginning to notice. Ali kept trying to connect with her best friend like she always did, but when she would say something friendly, Ashlyn would try and run away from the topic. In the case of the food court, Ash literally ran to get into line and distance herself from Ali.

"Hey Ash, I'm getting kinda hungry... wanna go to the food court with me? Maybe we splurge and get a chicken teriyaki plate?"

"Oh um just one meal to split between the two of us?" Ashlyn asked nervously

"Yeah, thats what we always do dummy."

"Yeah. No. I'm Actually really hungry today so Im going to get my own. I'm going to run ahead and order...meetyoubackatthetablebye"

Ali was in the dressing room trying on dresses, "ASHLYN!" There was no response. "ASHLYN?"

After a few seconds, Ash practically whispered and let Ali know she was waiting outside the room. Ali was frustrated, and figured the best way for her to figure out what was happening with her best friend was to force her to talk. "Ash. Can you come in here please?"

Ashlyn's head dropped. There was no way she wanted to be in a confined place with Ali. Not with all these confusing things running through her head. "Uh, what do you need Al?"

Ali became even more confused with Ashlyn's answer. Usually her best friend would do whatever she asked without any questions. "I need someone to zipper my dress up. I can't reach all the way up my back."

Ashlyn knew she didn't want to see Ali's exposed back and have to touch her. Ash didn't know what she was feeling, but knew she should keep her distance before making any rash decisions. "Yeah those zippers can be tricky..." she said as she waved her arms around and flagged down a store employee, "But," Ash read the name on the girls tag, "Jill is here to help you! So you can hurry up with that and I will meet you by the cash register!"

Ali opened the door to her dressing room in time to see Ashlyn texting on her phone and beelining away from her stall. Ali looked at Jill who was waiting to help her get the dress on. Ali glared at Ashlyn's back, getting angrier with every step Ash took. "Im taking the damn dress. I dont need to try it on." she snarled at Jill. She was going to confront Ashlyn and poor Ash wasn't even going to know what hit her.

After paying for Ali's dress, the two walked silently to Ashlyn's Jeep. Ashlyn silent because she was still replaying Hope's words in her head, and Ali silent because she wanted Ash to know how unhappy she was with her. Unfortunately Ash was so preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't even acknowledge Ali simmering beside her, which only fueled Ali's rage more.

When they reached the Jeep, Ali knew she only had a second to act. As Ash opened the trunk to put all of Ali's bags inside, Ali grabbed her friend around the waist and threw her into the trunk, while jumping in after her and simultaneously slamming the door, effectively closing them in. All of this multitasking by Ali threw her off balance, and she landed smack on top of a stunned Ashlyn. Ashlyn had hit her head on her rough journey into the car and that combined with Ali flying onto her and having her best friend so close to her made her lose it. She listened to Ali rage on and on about how Ash needed to get over herself and communicate what she was feeling, while tears began to build in her eyes. Ashlyn didn't want to appear weak so she screwed her eyes shut and smacked her phone against her leg to distract her. The movement of the phone reminded Ali that Ashlyn had been texting someone while she was acting weird so she grabbed the phone out of Ashlyn's hand and read the last text message.

**From Lauren** : _**You are really thinking about moving out of our apartment? Just because of her? I really think you should think about this longer before you fly out.. I know you already bought your plane ticket, but I would really miss you if you left**_.

 

Ali began to cry too, as she opened the trunk and whipped the phone back at Ashlyn. This was so much worse than she had thought. Her best friend was so upset with her that she was leaving her life and all of their friends to get away from her. Ali went and sat in the front seat of the car turning her head towards the window and putting headphones in when Ashlyn sat next to her. She couldn't believe that her best friend was breaking up with their friendship with no explanation.

 


	6. Leaving

The next morning, the balance in the kitchen was off. Ali and Ashlyn sat on opposite sides of the table, both with swollen eyes. Every time Pinoe said something funny that Ali would usually laugh at, she was reminded about the fact that Ashlyn didn't sleep in their shared room last night, and only came in once, to grab a suitcase.

****  
  


The only person that had the full story of why Ashlyn was leaving was Ashlyn herself. Lauren knew the next most, but all she knew was that Ali and Ash had a falling out and Ashlyn needed space. Poor Ali, even though she was involved, knew almost nothing about why she was being abandoned. When Ali decided she couldn't take it anymore, she excused herself from the table and went to go take a shower and cry alone. By the time that she got out, Ashlyn was gone, and the sweatshirt that she had borrowed from Ali was folded on Ali's pillow. Seeing the sweatshirt on the pillow folded with such care put Ashlyn leaving in perspective. She couldn't lose the one person who knew her inside and out. Ali took out her phone and began spamming her (former) best friend.

**From Al** _**: Ash. Please come home and talk to me. I dont know what I did.** _

**From Al:** _**Come'on. I cant fix it if I don't know what happened.** _

**From Al:** _**We have been best friends for almost four years. How can you just walk away?** _

**From Al:** _**You left your watch here...If you give me an address I can ship it to you? Or if you plan on coming home I can keep it safe until you get here?** _

**From Al:** _**Ashlyn please. You are the one person in my life who is there for me, whenever. Remember when me and Jake broke up? we watched disney movies for two days straight because you said i was 'a princess who deserved everything'. Who else will be willing to watch little kids movies with me all night?** _

**From Ash:** _**Ali. I'm driving to the airport. Please dont text me, I cant afford to get a ticket for texting and driving. I remember when you and Jake from up. I think you can handle it, and Pinoe is always down for a movie. You can just keep the watch. I have another one with me. You still deserve the world. Please stop texting me. Bye.** _

__

Ali was excited when she heard her phone vibrate, but once she read the text and the finality of the tone, she sank to the ground and didn't move for three hours, unable to face the reality of no longer having her best friend.

 


	7. Leaving pt. 2

*Two weeks later*

The girls living in the apartment still weren't used to having an empty seat next to Ali, but they tried to fill it with jokes and normal conversation, steering away from anything that might remind Ali of her best friend, but it seemed like almost everything had a memory of Ashlyn tied to it.

**Group Message w/ Al, Ash, Pinoe, Alex, Kel, and Laur:**

**_From Laur:_ Hey guys we have to book the hotel room for Vegas soon... I need to know who is able to get the time off of work and can go.**

**_From Pinoe:_ HELL YEAH VEGAS! IM IN!**

**_From Alex:_ ^Same.**

**_From Kel:_ ^yup**

**_From Al_ : Sorry, but I can't get off work. Im a no-go.**

**_From Lauren:_ Ash, what about you? Just because you don't live with us doesn't mean you can't come!**

**_From Ash:_ Sorry.**

***ASHLYN HAS LEFT THE CONVERSATION***

**_From Kel:_ Damn thats cold... But at least we know she's still alive...**

**_From Pinoe:_ Of course shes alive! Didnt you see the pics that she was tagged in on Instagram? Honestly I would say she's having a better time than we are...Hold on I'll send the pictures that her friend posted.**

**_From Pinoe:_ 7 attachments.image**

**_From Kel:_ .....Is she sober in a single one of those?**

**_From Alex:_ Damn and I thought Kelley was always out partying.**

Ali flipped through the pictures and began to notice some things. Yes, Ashlyn definitely looked intoxicated, but the two hadn't been separated long enough that Ali forgot how to read Ashlyn. With just one look, Ali could see that Ash wasn't having a good time. She looked miserable. Through all the drinks and, oddly enough, a 'wet t-shirt contest' Ashlyn had a sadness in her eyes that couldn't be faked with smiling and beer. Ali also noticed a sign behind Ashlyn's head in one of the pictures. The Old Salty Dog Restaurant it read. Ali knew exactly where that restaurant was, because she had heard Ash talk about it so many times. Ali immediately made two phone calls. One, to her boss, telling him that she was very sick and wouldn't be able to come into work for about four days. The second phone call was to the airlines to book a flight to Florida, where her best friend was hiding from her.


	8. Flying to Florida

Ali spent the whole flight to Florida worrying about what Ashlyn's reaction would be when she saw her. She tried to get over her worry by striking up conversation with her seatmate, an older man who wasn't particularly pleased with having to listen to Ali fret next to him for a two hour ride. 

"She's perfect. She's my best friend, you know? I love her. I mean obviously she has some flaws, like leaving me and moving to get away from me, but im sure theres a logical explanation!"  
"Uh huh.I'm sure." Ali's seatmate murmured  
"We have been friends for a long time. I can't picture moving on without her, you know? We have a trip to England planned for this summer. I can't go without her."  
Her seatmate finally looked up and gave her his attention. "Look. I don't know either of you, but it sounds like you really love her. If she can't see that, then she is an idiot. Let her work through her own shit before you bombard her with all of you. Just let her know that you are there for her."

With those words in mind, when Ali's plane landed around dinnertime, she headed to a bar that she knew Ashlyn frequented when she was in Florida. Ali's plan was to hang out at the bar and let Ashlyn come to her. She didn't want to scare her friend away into moving even farther. After sitting on her stool for about an hour, she was a tipsy from all the drinks the man next to her kept buying her. She wasn't interested in him, and he was getting a little too handsy so she excused herself to go to the bathroom, figuring she could wait there for long enough that he would go home without her. She finished peeing, and was just sitting on the toilet killing time when the door of the bathroom slammed open and the wall adjoining her stall and the one next to it was hit with a bang. Ali jumped, and knew immediately what was happening from the noises that were coming from only a few feet away. She saw the two sets of feet under the stall and knew she should leave to give the couple their privacy. Ali got up and began to wash her hands loudly to let the couple know she was still there, but they were too wrapped up in their own business that they apparently didn't notice. Although Ali couldn't see them, she had a pretty good idea of where it was going because the moans that were emitted. 

"ASH! ugh Ashlyn harder!"

Ali froze. It couldn't be a coincidence that the plea was coming from a bathroom in Ashlyn's favorite bar while someone yelled Ashlyn's name. Ali coughed loudly and knocked on the bathroom stall, not sure if she wanted Ashlyn to open the door. If it was Ashlyn, then she would see her friend again. But she would see Ashlyn at a very uncomfortable time. On the other hand, if someone opened the stall and it wasn't Ashlyn but some random couple, she would have a difficult time explaining why she had interrupted their sex time. The moans from inside the stall stopped and the door opened. Ashlyn stepped out and quickly shut the door behind her.


	9. Awkward af

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter goes back to Tobin, Alex, Kelley, Hope, and everyone else!

Ali took Ashlyn in, from her mussed hair and shirt that was lopsided. She looked like someone who had been in the middle of a heated make out session. Ashlyn saw Ali's gaze wandering up and down her body and Ashlyn checked the reflection to make sure that her partner had not left any bruises on her neck or visible chest.

Ashlyn turned her attention back to the Ali just as Ali reached out and brushed her finger across Ashlyn's lip. "Wow these are pretty swollen huh. I guess you haven't been as upset as I have been. Having fun in Florida, Ash?"

"Ali...." She trailed off as the bathroom stall opened and a shorter brunette girl stepped out. She nodded at Ashlyn and told her to give her a call. Ashlyn didn't know how to react other than a faint smile. Her mind was going a mile a minute. She didn't want to make eye contact with Ali, knowing that her friend must have put the pieces together.

Ali was staring at the ground in silence. When she had heard the moans and pleas of the person with Ashlyn, she was so preoccupied with finding out if it was Ashlyn, that she hadn't even stopped to consider who Ashlyn was with, and had assumed that it was a man. Finally she spoke. "I'm going home Ashlyn. You should probably call Lauren. She's worried about you." And without mentioning the fact that her best friend had been outed by the circumstances, she left and caught the first flight back to her apartment.


	10. you play soccer?

Tobin and Alex were sitting on the couch watching a movie that neither of them were interested in when the door slammed open. The two girls had moved closer and closer throughout the movie, but the sound of the door opening sent them flying flustered to the other sides of the couch. Alex cursed mentally. ‘Damn Ali has the worst timing. I was finally getting close to Tobin’s body again’ Ali stomped into the living room and started pacing back in forth in front of Alex and Tobin.

“I cant believe it. I mean, I expected her to be ok and everything, but she is WAY more than ok. She was literally fucking….” Ali trailed off, realizing that even though she felt betrayed by her best friend, she still couldnt bring herself to out her to their friends, “You know what? I am so angry with her. I cant even think about it. I’m going for a run, does anyone want to come?”’

Alex looked to Tobin to see what she was planning on doing. She wouldn't mind watching Tobin become sweaty, but she also wouldn't mind hanging out alone with the beautiful girl sharing the couch with her. Unfortunately, Tobin was on a completely different page, and didn't know what Alex wanted from her. “Yeah, well I’ve been here for almost 24 hours, so I’m gonna head home… has anyone seen Hope?”

Alex thought about it,

 “Now that you mention it, I actually havent seen her, Kelley, OR Pinoe since this morning.”

Tobin shrugged.

 "Ok, well im going to walk home. Tell Hope to call me when she wants to be picked up, or she can walk home too. Either is fine.” She ambled out the door without saying bye or hugging any of the girls.

Alex looked around confused wondering what had just happened, her eyes landing on Tobin’s shoes next to the door. She ran after her, shoes in her hands.

 

“Tobin! Tob wait up!”

Tobin was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear Alex’s yells or her footsteps running behind her. Finally Alex caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder, and startled her.

 “Oh shoot! Dang Alex you scared the heck out of me! Whats up?”

Alex held up the vans for Tobin to see,

 “Forgetting anything?”

Tobin looked down at her feet, which were indeed bare.

 “Oh wow, I didn't even notice! I think I have so many calluses on my feet that I don't even need to wear shoes anymore.”

Alex shuddered picturing it.

 “Tobin, why are your feet so callused..?”

Tobin grinned,

 “Playing soccer barefoot on cement mostly. Also from climbing trees to get balls that I kicked too far in the park.”

 

Alex knew this was her way into Tobin’s life.

 “Oh you play soccer? We should get together and kick the ball around sometime... Maybe Friday? Then afterwards we can grab Chinese food or McDonalds?” She held her breath waiting for an answer

Tobin didn't seem to realize that Alex was nervous about asking her to hang out. To her, it was just two friends getting together to enjoy the beautiful game.

 “Yeah sounds good. Any of your friends ball? We could get enough people together to have mini game.”

Alex knew her request for a date had gone over Tobin’s head, but she wasn't about to clarify and make things weird between them.

 “Ok… So I’ll see you Friday and I’ll bring some people to kick your ass” 

She handed Tobin the shoes and jogged back home, thinking about what she was going to wear on Friday that was casual enough to play soccer in but nice enough to look good for Tobin.


	11. Like an elephant

By Friday, Alex had convinced Lauren, Pinoe, and Kelley to come to the park and hang out with their new friends. Ali was still resisting their efforts to convince her to leave the house, and had been moping around since she had returned from Florida, only leaving her room to rant about how immature Ashlyn was.   
“Ali I don't understand what the problem is. Ashlyn needs some time from whatever happened between you.” Lauren tried to convince Ali to join the real world,  
“You don't get it, OK? She freaked out over the tiniest little thing and then felt the need to fly away from me.” Ali responded.   
“All that happened was a little fight, right? I mean you would tell us if something else had happened…?”   
Ali grunted in a noncommittal way, still loyal to not giving her friends secret away. “Fine. Ill go. But I don't want to talk about Ashlyn or Florida, or anything surfing related. Just soccer.”

Taking the train to the park Tobin and her friends were meeting them at, Kelley was a ball of excitement. “I cant wait to see Hope again. How many more stops until we get there? Should I text her and see if she's there yet?” a thought occurred to her, “Wait. Let's get something straight. If I disappear during the game, and you don't see Hope either, DO NOT come and find me. Assume I will find my way home at some point. And you better not text me to make sure I’m ok. Trust me, if it works out the way i'm hoping, I'll be having a great time.” She winked dramatically and made some thrusts in the air to make sure everyone in the train car knew what she was talking about. Kelley had the subtlety of an elephant and the volume as if she was at a concert, so everyone, even the people they didn't know, had a great idea of Kelley’s fantasies.


	12. naked nutella

Ashlyn had decided about twenty minutes after Ali left for the airport that she needed to go home. It took her another two days to psych herself up for buying the plane ticket. All of the worrying about seeing Ali again had led to this. She was standing on the doormat outside of their apartment wondering if she should knock or not. “Fuck it.” She opened the door and went in. It was her apartment after all. “Hello? Anyone home?” no one answered, so she dropped her bags off on her bed in her and Ali’s room and went to go take a shower. She needed to relax before her friends got home and bombarded her with questions of why she left.

 

Meanwhile at the park, Ali was not having a good time. She loved soccer, and played it every chance she got, but today her mind was weighed down with thoughts of seeing Ashlyn. She decided that she had put in enough time in the ‘real world’ and decided to head back home. “Guys I have a headache,” she lied, “Im gonna start my way back home and make some tea and facetime Kyle. Ill see you all when you get home.” She got on the train and returned to the apartment.

 

When Ali opened the door, she didn't think to look for a new pair of shoes next to the door, or the luggage sitting in their room. She had begun to get a real headache and knew it was from holding in tears. She decided the best way to feel better was to just hunker down for a solid cry. She took off the layers of clothes she was wearing and in just a sports bra and nike pros sank onto the couch and let the tears fall.

 

Ashlyn was sitting in the bathroom practicing her speech of how she was going to explain her sex buddy from Florida to Ali. After ten minutes of talking to herself in the mirror, she felt like  a dork and decided to track down some food. She knew she had locked the door to the apartment and the curtains would be drawn, so she didn't bother putting on clothes, just wrapped her hair in a towel so she didn't drip everywhere and left everything else hanging out.

 

Ali heard something in the kitchen and tensed up. She had passed the stages of loud crying and was sitting there silently when a cabinet door had slammed shut on the other side of the apartment. Fuck I'm going to die. I should have stayed at the park.  She knew she had to get up and investigate so she grabbed one of Pinoe’s selfie sticks, and Alex’s pointy heels and began her advance to the noise.

 

Ashlyn had been practicing her speech and listening to music on her phone when Ali had been crying loudly, so she had no idea that anyone else was in the house. She grabbed some Nutella and a spoon and began eating while leaning against the cabinets looking out the windows down onto the street. She began to murmur parts of her rehearsed words for Ali through her Nutella. “It’s just, I didn't know how you would react. We have been friends for so long, and I didn't want to mess it up. And yeah I should have told you I liked girls, but there was never a good time! And I knew you would be fine with it, because Kyle is gay. And I didn't even know how much I liked you until Hope pointed it out and I thought about how obvious it was from how I look at you…” Ugh this nutella is so bomb. I wonder where the girls are? I should probably get dressed…

 

Ali walked into hearing range towards  the end of the speech and had frozen in place when she heard the muffled words coming from Ashlyn’s mouth around the Nutella. She didn't know how to enter the kitchen without being completely obvious that she had been listening. She coughed at the same time as pushing the door to the kitchen open so Ashlyn would be warned that someone was coming in.

 

“FUCK! Im sorry! I thought you would be, like, wearing clothes!” Ali screamed in surprise when Ashlyn whirled around and revealed a lot more than she was expecting.

“WHEN DID YOU EVEN GET HOME. WHAT THE HELL ALI!” she reached up and tugged her towel off her head while trying to cover herself with the other hand. She finally finished covering everything up, and looked up to see Ali glaring at the ground with a red face. “Al. Look at me. Im sorry I left. Can we talk?”

Ali nodded and went to take a step closer to Ash, when her feet found a few drops of water that had been left behind from Ashlyn’s body coming out of the shower. She began to fall, but Ash jumped in and grabbed her. Remembering Ashlyns words before, she stiffened and righted herself. “Yeah lets talk. Get some clothes on and meet me in the living room.”


	13. Coming out and Lame Jokes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry to anyone who read this and it didn't make sense, for some reason, i accidentally only saved this chapter as a draft the first time i posted it, so it might be a little confusing if you didn't get to read this chapter before!

Ali sat on the couch composing herself and trying to digest what she had walked in on. Her thoughts bounced from what she had heard Ashlyn saying to the sight she had walked in on. Ashlyn finally came into the living room to join Ali, this time wearing clothes. Ali saw how nervous Ashlyn was and tried to help ease the awkwardness by making a dumb joke. "I like your outfit. I wasn't sure that you owned clothes, or wore them for that matter." Ali usually wasn't the one who told the bad jokes so her awful comedic timing made it even worse than it should have been. Ashlyn tried to laugh but the idea that Ali had just walked in on her naked eating Nutella was something that she didn't want to be reminded of.

Ashlyn and Ali both tried to talk at the same time.

"So I heard what you said-"

"I didn't know you were coming home so soon-" Ashlyn stopped, "wait you heard what?"

Ali swallowed, knowing she was about to start a difficult conversation for both of them, "I heard you talking to yourself in the kitchen. I didn't mean to, but I thought someone was breaking in..."

Ashlyn's head was spinning. "What exactly did you hear, the sex noises I was making from the deliciousness of the Nutella?"

Ali stopped making eye contact and started looking at the carpet like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "No. Well yes about the noises. But also I heard you saying something about liking girls. And me. So uh yeah."

Ashlyn choked on air. "Fuck." She got up and started pacing, "I wanted to tell you. But we heavy been friends for so long, I figured you must kinda know, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship if you knew I was gay, I mean we share a room! I didn't want it to get weird."

Ali knew she had to mention that other part of what she heard again. "And what about t to end other thing? Do you...like me...?"

Ashlyn looked into Ali's eyes and saw she wasn't comfortable. She had just found out her roommate was gay, and Ashlyn didn't want to pile on more things for her to think about. "No of course not. You misunderstood me. I said 'I don't want you to think I like you, we are just friends, just because I like girls doesn't mean I like you'"

Ali knew what she had heard, but she didn't want to think about her best friend liking her so she didn't pressure it. "Ok. Well you know that I'm straight, but you also know how much I love Kyle. And I love you too. So obviously I don't care if you like girls. But tell me about the gir in Florida! Are you going to see her again? What's her name? How did you meet her?"

Ashlyn didn't want to tell Ali that she had only bought the girl drinks because she had hair like Ali's and it was easy to pretend that she was flirting with someone else. Someone who she really loved. "Oh she was just a hookup. I don't even know where I put her number haha..." She trailed off, "so are we ok? If it makes you feel weird, I can sleep in Pinoe or Cheney's room?"

Ali looked up and finally made eye intact with Ash, even though she didn't want to have to deal with a crush from her best friend, she also knew she loved her best friend and would be able to sleep without her near her, "nah you can stay in our room." She tried again to make a joke, "anyways, after that show I got when I walked into the kitchen, I don't think it can get more awkward!"

Ashlyn groaned, "what will it take for you to forget that?"

Ali smirked, "buy me a new purse and I'll never mention it again."

Ashlyn knew it was worth it. "Deal."


	14. talking kinda sucks

Ali sat on the couch composing herself and trying to digest what she had walked in on. Her thoughts bounced from what she had heard Ashlyn saying to the sight she had walked in on. Ashlyn finally came into the living room to join Ali, this time wearing clothes. Ali saw how nervous Ashlyn was and tried to help ease the awkwardness by making a dumb joke.

"I like your outfit. I wasn't sure that you owned clothes, or wore them for that matter." Ali usually wasn't the one who told the bad jokes so her awful comedic timing made it even worse than it should have been. Ashlyn tried to laugh but the idea that Ali had just walked in on her naked eating Nutella was something that she didn't want to be reminded of.

Ashlyn and Ali both tried to talk at the same time.

"So I heard what you said-"

"I didn't know you were coming home so soon-" Ashlyn stopped, "wait you heard what?"

Ali swallowed, knowing she was about to start a difficult conversation for both of them, "I heard you talking to yourself in the kitchen. I didn't mean to, but I thought someone was breaking in..."

Ashlyn's head was spinning. "What exactly did you hear, the sex noises I was making from the deliciousness of the Nutella?"

Ali stopped making eye contact and started looking at the carpet like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "No. Well yes about the noises. But also I heard you saying something about liking girls. And me. So uh yeah."

Ashlyn choked on air. "Fuck." She got up and started pacing, "I wanted to tell you. But we heavy been friends for so long, I figured you must kinda know, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship if you knew I was gay, I mean we share a room! I didn't want it to get weird."

Ali knew she had to mention that other part of what she heard again. "And what about t to end other thing? Do you...like me...?"

Ashlyn looked into Ali's eyes and saw she wasn't comfortable. She had just found out her roommate was gay, and Ashlyn didn't want to pile on more things for her to think about. "No of course not. You misunderstood me. I said 'I don't want you to think I like you, we are just friends, just because I like girls doesn't mean I like you'"

Ali knew what she had heard, but she didn't want to think about her best friend liking her so she didn't pressure it. "Ok. Well you know that I'm straight, but you also know how much I love Kyle. And I love you too. So obviously I don't care if you like girls. But tell me about the gir in Florida! Are you going to see her again? What's her name? How did you meet her?"

Ashlyn didn't want to tell Ali that she had only bought the girl drinks because she had hair like Ali's and it was easy to pretend that she was flirting with someone else. Someone who she really loved. "Oh she was just a hookup. I don't even know where I put her number haha..." She trailed off, "so are we ok? If it makes you feel weird, I can sleep in Pinoe or Cheney's room?"

Ali looked up and finally made eye intact with Ash, even though she didn't want to have to deal with a crush from her best friend, she also knew she loved her best friend and would be able to sleep without her near her, "nah you can stay in our room." She tried again to make a joke, "anyways, after that show I got when I walked into the kitchen, I don't think it can get more awkward!"

Ashlyn groaned, "what will it take for you to forget that?"

Ali smirked, "buy me a new purse and I'll never mention it again."

Ashlyn knew it was worth it. "Deal."


	15. the game

At first, during the game in the park, Alex was focused on staying near Tobin and looking good. That lasted for about two minutes until Tobin nutmegged her and scored. She narrowed her eyes watching Tobin celebrate with the girls she had brought with her, Christen, Julie, and Hope. Alex was never someone who could take losing well. She grabbed the ball from the makeshift net made of garbage cans, and stalked to the middle of their field. “Lets go Tobin. It’s gametime.”

 

The intensity of the game turned up several notches after Tobin’s first goal, and all the girls held their own. Alex could outrun almost everyone who was playing, but Tobin could break her ankles once she had the ball. Alex had stopped trying to look cute, and her sole focus was only to win. It had gotten dark and the girls were basically playing blind, but that wasnt stopping them. Lauren was the only one with enough sense to know that someone, probably Kelley, would end up getting hurt if they kept playing, so she yelled out the only thing that can get a soccer game that intense to end, “LAST GOAL WINS!”

 

Alex had possession when this was yelled, and she quickly passed it to A-rod, and started sprinting up the sideline, knowing that if she was patient, Amy would find her with a clean pass. Tobin knew what Alex was thinking and chased her down the field. Amy lofted a pass over everyone's head, bouncing right in front of Alex. She took a touch and cut towards the net, hearing Tobin’s feet behind her. Alex glanced up and began to wind up her shot, when she felt two arms around her waist dragging her down. Alex was taken down before she got the shot off and could only watch as Hope ran forward to grab the ball and run down the field and shoot hard at the net, winning the game for her team. Alex squirmed under Tobin’s weight, finally twisting around and facing her. “What the hell Tobin? Thats cheating! You can't tackle in soccer you dumbass!” Tobin had the nerve to look sheepish, but Alex was a very competitive person and she felt that the game had been stolen from her. “And now my knees are all bloody from being freaking tackled!”

 

Tobin looked at Alex’s knees, which were indeed scraped up and bloody. “Well,” she said, “I guess I’ll just have to carry you home then, so you wont have to injure yourself anymore,” and with that, Tobin scooped Alex up and threw her over her shoulder, like one would carry a sack of potatoes.

  
Alex shrieked. All she could see was down Tobin's back and her ass. which, she thought, wasn't the worst view to have. Still she felt bad and wiggled her way down. “My hands are scraped up too, so I’ll settle for just holding your hand on the walk home,” she silently applauded herself for being so smooth as Tobin reached out and took her hands in her own. The feeling of Tobin’s hands in her own almost made up for the loss of the pickup soccer game. Almost.


	16. you smell

Kelley bounced into the living room like a child who had just eaten an entire bowl of halloween candy. She immediately started filling Ali in on everything that she had missed since she had left the game early. “SO Hope is actually wicked good at soccer, which I mean isn't really hard to believe, because shes probably good at everything. OH and then, cause, you know, it was really hot from running around, she used her shirt to wipe the sweat off her face. Goddamn. Those abs? Those abs are literally unreal.” Kelley finally pauses to take a breath, which Lauren uses to interrupt her.

“Kell. Go shower. You smell.”

Kelley skipped over to Lauren and lifted her arms to shove her armpits into Lauren’s face. “DO I SMELL? YOU SURE?”

Lauren gagged. “Yes Kelley you smell awful. Shower, and then we can watch a movie and you can stalk Hope’s instagram. Again.”

Kelley loved showing everyone Hope’s instagram pictures and boasting that she had “tapped that”, so she ran off in the direction of the shower, not looking where she was going.

Just as Kelley turned the corner out of view of Lauren and Ali in the living room, Ashlyn was slinking back into her room, trying to get back into her bed without running into any of her housemates. She didn't want to have to explain her red eyes and hoarse voice. She was planning on making an appearance tomorrow morning at breakfast and claiming that she had only gotten their that day. Unfortunately, due to Kelley and her awful timing, her plan was foiled.

Back in the living room, Lauren could sense that Ali was working through something, and was about to offer her support and advice when Kelley’s high pitched shriek pierced the ears of anyone within ten miles. “ASHLYN MICHELLE HARRIS! YOUR HOME! WHAT THE HELL MAN?? I MISSED YOU? AND YOU MISSED A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT SHARKS! I TRIED TO GET ALI TO WATCH IT WITH ME BUT SHE WANTED TO WATCH SAY YES TO THE DRESS! WHERE HAVE YOU---” Ashlyn slapped her hand over Kelley’s mouth, trying to get her to quiet down, even though she knew the damage was already done. Everyone in the city knew she was home now.

 

Lauren looked up at Ali, who's had noticeably stiffened when Kelley yelled out Ashlyn’s name in pure joy. Lauren knew that she had to talk to Ali. Whatever had happened after Ali had left the fields probably wasn't good, judging by Ali’s clenched jaw and white knuckles. “Al-”

Ali got up and stalked towards the door. “Im going out to meet a friend for drinks. Ill be home by 2am. Ill text you if I can't drive home.” Ali wasn't planning on drinking to forget Ashlyns words to her, but she was never one to resist a good round of shots.


	17. at the bar

Ali was hanging out at her favorite bar with two of her friends from soccer, Carm and Erin. Erin wasn't the life of the party she usually was, and was acting more down to Earth. Erin claimed that it was because she was truly happy and didn't need to be filled with alcohol to stay happy. Carm told Ali it was because she had been dating someone and the sex was probably good. Because Erin wasnt drunk, it was a little harder to convince her to let loose on the dancefloor, but Carm was willing to down some shots and live it up with the music and Ali.

 

Ali screamed the lyrics to the song Blank Space by Taylor Swift and pretended that it didn't bring back memories of her and Ash singing this in the car on one of their many shopping excursions. Ali felt two hands grab her waist and pull her backside into them, and she flinched. She wasn't used to being touched so roughly, touched without love. She looked behind her and searched the man’s face. He had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a small scar above his eyebrow. In other words, he didn't look like Ashlyn at all, which was enough to make Ali grab another shot and keep dancing with him. Ali knew that there was no way that she was going home with this man, she hadn't lost all of her dignity with her sobriety. But with each shot she took, she stopped caring about him dancing on her, and just focused on staying near Carm and not thinking about any of her problems that had caught up to her earlier in the day.

  
Erin watched as the two girls ordered drink after drink from the bartender. When two guys started hitting on Ali at the same time, and dancing up on her, she decided that she couldn't let her drunk friend make any mistakes that she would regret later. Anyone could see that Ali was drinking because she was hurt. Erin didn't want to let Ali get taken advantage of while she tried to work things through. Erin knew she wasn't a tiny girl, but she also didn't want to be stuck carrying Carm and Ali home while having to deal with the two men trying to take Ali into a private place. She sighed, and pulled out her phone and shot a text to the one person she know would put Ali’s safety above everything else. She got a response almost immediately which surprised her, because it was four in the morning. Ashlyn was on her way.


	18. Not in the Mood

Ashlyn saw Ali before Ali saw Ashlyn. After Ali had left and gone to the bar with her friends, Ashlyn had sat down with Lauren and talked through her feelings, admitting what the brunette meant to her. Lauren wasn't surprised, she had been seeing Ash struggle with finding herself and admitting her feelings for years. During their talk, Ashlyn had realized that she couldn't keep pining over Ali and she had to keep living her life. Ashlyn had known that she wanted to be with Ali since they had met three years ago, but they had met during a time that Ashlyn was depressed and had needed someone to help her live from day to day, and Ali was that bright spot in her life. Whenever she thought about telling Ali that she loved her, she got sick thinking about Ali not feeling the same way and leaving her to return to that dark time.

 

When Ashlyn walked into the bar, she saw Ali dancing and twirling under the strobing lights holding Carm’s hands with her hair streaming out behind her as she spun and jumped with the beat. Ash forgot how to breathe as she swore in that moment that Ali was not a person, but after the initial shock of seeing her soulmate looking so beautiful was replaced with the feeling of getting punched in the stomach as she expanded her vision beyond just Ali and saw that she and Carm were dancing with some men who looked very interested in them. The remaining part of Ash that believed that she and Ali could be together died as she watched Ali stumble and grab the man's hand to steady herself. Ali’s straight. She wouldn't want someone like me. She belongs with someone like that. Someone who can give her what she wants. Ashlyn turned and walked out the door, knowing that Ali didn't need rescuing. She was right where she was supposed to be.

 

Erin had been sitting at the bar with one eye on Ali and Carm and the other on the door waiting for Ashlyn to walk through it. She turned back to the door to see the blonde leaving. Erin was torn. She knew she needed Ashlyn’s help getting Ali and Carm off the floor and away from those guys but she didn't feel good about leaving Ali and Carm out of her sight while she chased Ashlyn down. She looked around for something that she could use to get Ashlyn’s attention, her eyes landing on her half drunk soda. She grabbed the cup and screamed “ASHLYN HARRIS!!” while throwing the drink in Ash’s direction.  Ashlyn turned just in time to be splattered with ice and liquid. She was livid, not knowing who had thrown it. She was looking around for the culprit, ready to start a fight when she saw Erin waving like a maniac. She stomped back towards Erin dripping sticky liquid off of her.

“Did you do this? I just got these pants, you asshole.”

Erin apologized, “Im sorry but it's just soda. Im the DD. I thought you were coming to help me with Ali and Carm. Why were you leaving without helping?”

Ashlyn clenched her jaw, “Ali doesn't need help. Im pretty sure she wants to go home with that guy. Just let her.”

Erin saw that Ash was being serious and she knew that she had to change Ashlyn’s mind or she would have to take on the task of protecting both her drunk friends by herself. “Ash... Please. I called you, because I knew that you would do anything for Ali. She doesn't want him. She doesn't know what she wants! Don't let her regret anything.”

Ashlyn yanked her arm back from Erin, where Erin had grabbed it trying to get her point across. “I'm only doing this once. And because she's drunk off her ass. Next time, call someone else.”

 

Ashlyn walked to the middle of the dance floor where Ali was still dancing with the man who had moved forward with his advances and now had his hands groping her ass. Ashlyn looked at Ali and saw her eyes were glazed over and she didn't seem to know what was happening. She looked the creep in the eyes and told him to remove his hands. He didn't take her seriously which was a mistake since Ashlyn was still running high on emotions. She punched him in the nose and picked Ali up bridal style and started striding across the bar. Carm followed her silently, confused as to why Ashlyn was so upset. The man got up from behind them and lurched after Ashlyns retreating body.

“She doesnt want you, you fucking dyke! She wants a man! Leave her here!”

Ashlyn handed Ali to Erin and turned back in time to see the man's fist coming back at her face. He landed one solid punch on her nose before she kicked him in the crotch and left him on the ground crying in pain. Ashlyn took Ali out of Erin’s arms and walked towards the exit without saying anything to Carm or Erin about what had just happened. She really wasnt in the mood to talk about it.


	19. Bloody

Ali woke up confused and in pain. She wasn't in her bedroom, and had a splitting headache. For a brief and terrifying second, she thought she might be in a random man’s bedroom, but as fully opened her eyes, she saw that she was in Alex’s bedroom in her apartment. Thats weird. She wasn't sure why she wasn't in her bedroom, but she was sure that there was a logical explanation that she couldn't remember through her headache and fuzziness.

 

Ali reached around her until she felt the cool screen of her phone. She clicked it on, and saw several messages from last night.

 

From Unknown number: Hey, I had a great time last night, until that blonde bitch showed up. If you feel like going out dancing again, give me a call. Don't bring the blonde.

 

Ali read it, her confusion growing. What blonde? Erin has brown hair, and Carm didn't “show up”, she was there the whole time. She shook it off and scrolled to the next texts,

 

**From Erin:** You really need to apologize and thank Ashlyn. She came and helped bring your sorry ass home. I think she's really ticked off though...so have fun with that…

**From Carm:** Good morning sunshine! Hope your head doesn't hurt as much as mine!

 

Ali shot a text back to Carm assuring her that her body was indeed screaming at her for having too wild a night the day before. She reread Erin’s text again, and still wasn't sure what Erin was referring to. Ali had no recollection of Ashlyn showing up at the bar last night, so she wasn't sure what she would be apologizing for. She decided to get out of bed and try and fish around so when she saw Ashlyn she would be able to apologize sincerely and thank her.

 

Ali walked into the kitchen and joined Pinoe, Alex, and Kelley at the table. She told Alex how much she appreciated the coffee being nudged into her hands with a quiet moan. “Good morning everyone...What's everyone planning on doing today?”

Alex immediately started blushing and stuttering. Kelley answered for her, “Me and Alex are going to the children's museum today!”

Ali was confused as to why her two adult friends would take their dates to the children's museum but knew that it was most likely Kelley’s idea and that Alex would go along with it if it meant that she would get to see Tobin again. “Isn't the children's museum for… children…? “

Kelley waggled her eyebrows, “Well yes, but the exhibits are hands on and are meant for tiny little bodies, so all I have to do is convince Hope to crawl through them with me, and maybe Ill get some ‘hands on’ time myself!”

Everyone at the table groaned, knowing that Kelley was going to be relentless in her approach with Hope and that the probability of some little kids trying to go through exhibits and instead being scarred for life was very high.

 

Ali looked towards Pinoe, “What about you Meg? Any big plans today?”

Pinoe turned a shade of red that was normally only found in strawberries and tomatoes, “Im just going to a concert with some friends. Nothing big.”

Ali knew she was lying, and that she probably was seeing someone in the band, but wanted to get to her main point, Ashlyn. She didn't want to seem too apparent, so she started by asking about Lauren,  “Ok. Well that sounds cool. Has anyone seen Lauren?”

“She brought Ash to the hospital”, Kelley blurted out without thinking, which received her kicks to the shins from Alex and Pinoe.

“Dude you weren't supposed to tell her that Ash was in the ER this morning... “

Ali didn't want to scare off her friends from giving her the information about Ashlyn, so she swallowed down her shrieks and calmly asked, “Oh the ER? what happened to Ash? “

No one answered, scared to tell her what had happened. Ali gave each of them the death stare, keeping it on Alex until she cracked. Ali knew where the weak link was.

“FINE! After she went to the bar to get you, she came home with a bloody face, so we were all worried, but she kept yelling that she didn't want to talk about it. But this morning Lauren woke us up to tell us that Ashlyn passed out in her sleep because she couldn't breathe through her nose and that she couldn't open her eyes, so she was bringing her into the hospital to get looked at.”

All of a sudden, Ali couldn't breathe either. Ashlyn was in the hospital because of her. She wasn't sure how she fit into it, but Ashlyn had gotten a bloody face after leaving the house to get her, so she knew that she was at least partially at fault.

“Im going to the hospital. Anyone coming with me?” Ali grabbed her coffee from the table and turned towards her room to grab clothes. She was going to find out what had gone down last night between her and Ashlyn. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments?


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